Lesson 4: Master Milch's Appearance
Famous Conductor Maestro Franz von Stresemann has come to teach at the University, putting together an orchestra of the school's most eccentric students. Chiaki, who wishes to change majors (to Nodame's distress), hopes to learn under him but runs into a few conflicts over the man's personality and his priorities. Summary A month has passed since Christmas and a foreign man is walking through the University campus, holding a tour book for Japan. Nodame’s friends watch him from the window (again) but have no clue who he could be. Mine is flamboyantly practicing his violin but spies someone watching him from classroom window staring, snickering before walking off, to his confusion. This same strange event happens to Masumi and soon several people on campus are complaining of a creepy intruder. Nodame doesn’t notice when he visits her door and after watching her play piano, he silently praises her ability. Evening comes and as Nodame is heading home, she’s stopped by the mystery man who introduces himself as “Milch Holstein”, a tourist from Germany who would like her help in finding a taxi. He offers to take her out to dinner and though she’s tempted, she knows she shouldn’t go out with some stranger and so invited him to eat with her (uninvited) at Chiaki’s home. Chiaki’s is understandably displeased with this and is further disgusted by the liberty Milch takes in drinking his alcohol and getting close to Nodame. Milch inquires about a photo Chiaki has, realizing he’s a student of Maestro Vieira, then decides that it’s best he leave, offering to take Nodame to a restaurant in the hotel where he’s staying. Sensing danger, Chiaki makes Nodame an offer to stay at his apartment tonight, even sleep in his arms, and the girl predictably jumps back to him, allowing Chiaki to send Milch out alone (though he snidely slips in a coupon for some bar). Milch is enraged. Nodame, having hopped into Chiaki’s bed, prepares to go to bed, but he scolds her about her “weirdo friends” and throws her out to go to her own room next door. She calls him a liar but does manage to keep one of his pillows, so she’s satisfied. The following morning, Chiaki is holding a transfer request that he’d planned to tell Nodame about yesterday, but decides it isn’t her business. Mine arrives and tells him that their new conducting teacher will be the famous Franz Von Stresemann who’s arrived in Japan, though Chiaki hesitates to belie the luck of it. They spy their new “teacher” through the door of the teacher’s lounge and while the other faculty fawns over him, Chiaki recognizes him as he lecherous old man from the other night, to his dismay. “Stresemann” declares he wants to make a new orchestra of students he has selected, wanting to give more students a chance to learn from him than just the conducting class and A orchestra. The students chosen for “Stresemann’s Specially Formed Orchestra” are excited by this opportunity, includign Mine and Masumi, and though he’s disgusted that a conductor he admired is so perverted, Chiaki decides he’ll still transfer to the conducting program to learn under him. Mika tells Nodame she’s been added to Stresemann’s orchestra as well, which confuses her as piano isn’t usually a part of an orchestra. Turns out she’s being made the “mascot girl” which Stresemann explains means he just needs to stay by his side. He tells her about him being Stresemann, but they’re interrupted by Chiaki’s desire to switch to conducting. Nodame bursts in on his chat with Tanioka and latches on, declaring she wants to keep playing piano with him (ignoring that they still play music together at home) and share their major. Milch steps in and rejects Chiaki’s transfer request, simply stating that he hates Chiaki. While as a teacher he shouldn’t have that authority, Milch informs them he has the power in this school to do as he pleases. However, he isn’t doing this because of how Chiaki treated him but because he’s a student of Vieira who Milch holds a grudge against. As it turns out, the two of them got into an altercation 15 years ago over a toy in a store and that Milch flirted with Vieira’ wife. Milch couldn’t stand that he had such a beautiful wife and thus, has hated him ever since. For this reason, he’ll deter a student of Vieira’s as well, depressing Chiaki (though Nodame is fine with this situation). The members of the Special Orchestra are called to a meeting by Stresemann who declares they’ll all work hard together toward becoming like family, a speech that really touches them all. However, for their first “Getting to know you” activity, he suggests they go party, which dampens their enthusiasm a little bit. Arriving at the party, they realize he’s more a flirt than a musician and Mine begins to doubt whether he really is Stresemann. He asks Nodame about Chiaki’s request to transfer and when she explains the rejection, he declares that’s too bad. After all, if Chiaki doesn’t transfer to a new major, he’ll complete his piano studies and graduate on time the following year, a fact that Nodame hadn’t even considered. Desperate not to let Chiaki leave, she also tries to get Milch to accept Chiaki’s transfer, but he refuses. The next day, Nodame is shocked to find Chiaki plans to drop out of school if he can’t become a conductor so, determined to make him stay, she drags him along got speak with their headmaster. In the headmaster’s office, however, they only find Stresemann who is again flaunting his power over the university and thus, Chiaki’s dreams. The special orchestra members have assembled and are waiting to begin practice, griping that Stresemann is late and throwing around ideas of him being an imposter. Nodame begs him to let the boy be a conductor, even bursting into tears which concerns both men. To ease her pain, Milch finally agrees that he’ll allow Chiaki to be a conducting major but on one condition: she must give him a “friendly” kiss on the lips, disgusting both students. While Chiaki does agree that westerners don’t value kisses like easterners, Nodame is still unwilling to go through with it. However, remembering that her time with Chiaki is on the line, she swallows her pride and prepares to do it. Featured Music *Chopin **Fantaisie-Impromptu *Mahler **Symphony No. 8, Symphony of a Thousand.